Stay
by strxnglxvatic
Summary: Say you love me more than you did before, and I'm sorry that it's this way, but I'm coming home. I'll be coming home. And if you ask me I will stay...


**Inspired by the song _Stay _by Miley Cyrus from her album_Can't Be Tamed_. I'm gonna punch you right in the feels with this story, just so you know. It's gonna be sad, touching, heartbreaking, and FULL of SeikoxNaomi! This is my SECOND Corpse Party fanfiction, so I'm very happy :3 I hope you enjoy!**

**(And, for this story, let's just pretend that all the ghost children and the ghosts of the characters were freed okay?)**

**(PSSST! For best results, listen to the song while you read!)**

**...**

_~While it's good to hear your voice_

_I hope you're doing fine_

_And if you ever wonder_

_I'm lonely here at night_

_I'm lost here in this moment, and time keeps slipping by_

_And if I could have just one wish_

_I'd have you by my side...~_

It had been a week since everything had happened. A week since they'd escaped. A week since the ones they cared about didn't. A week since Naomi, Ayumi, Satoshi, Yuka, and Yoshiki came back from Heavenly Host Elementary. To all of them, it might as well of happened yesterday. The memories were still vivid in their minds. Nightmares graced their subconscious every night with different and unspeakable horrors, all gruesome in their own disgusting way. Every one of them dreamed about somebody, whether it be someone good or someone bad. Ayumi dreamed about Mayu, Satoshi dreamed about Ms. Yui, Yoshiki dreamed about Morishige, Yuka dreamed about Kizami, and Naomi...

She dreamed about Seiko.

But not just any dreams. Not only about how she died, or how they'd fought. She dreamed about everything. Every memory she had about Seiko she saw while she slept. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was definitely torturous. She could always hear Seiko's voice as she spoke to her in the dreams. They'd laugh and talk sometimes, and Seiko would be up to her usual antics: such as groping Naomi's boobs and touching her butt. Naomi could never say how much she missed her best friend. She would wake up in the middle of the night, crying and screaming for Seiko, and her mother would come in to comfort her. And each time, she'd ask the same question.

"Honey, who is Seiko?"

That would only make Naomi cry harder. No one remembered the ones who had died. It was like they'd never existed in the first place. Seiko's father and brothers all stared at Naomi like she'd lost her mind when she tried to tell them of her horrible fate. Her brothers stared at her and Mr. Shinohara told her that he'd never had a daughter.

"Nakashima, I suggest you go get some rest." Mr. Shinohara said. "You look dreadful."

Naomi went home and cried into her pillow that night. She ate no dinner, she watched no TV, she talked to no one. She just cried and yelled into her pillow until sleep took her from the real world. She was greeted with a dream of their time in Heavenly Host Elementary. She saw herself hanging Seiko in the bathroom stall, she could see Seiko's life draining. She could see her best friend slipping away from her. But she could do nothing. She woke up with a chill coursing through her and a sob building up in her throat. She didn't want her mother to come in. She didn't want her mother to ask who she was crying about. She muffled herself with the mattress, her fists weakly beating on her pillow.

_ Why couldn't it of been me?!_ she constantly asked._ Or both of us so neither would have to be alone?!_

She always thought her bed was too big without Seiko spending the night like she did before. Every night after, Naomi just felt more and more lonely. So much time had passed, she shouldn't of expected the world to wait for her. It was a selfish thing to hope for. But how could she help it? Her mind had not formed one straight thought since she'd returned. She was surprised she kept track of the days that had passed. Everything had become one big whirlwind. She could not help but think that if she could have anything in the world, it would be to have Seiko back.

_~Oh, oh I miss you_

_Oh, oh I need you...~_

_ Seiko hated to see Naomi like this. If she was still alive, this would've killed her all over again. Yet, she was a ghost. She couldn't do anything to comfort her friend. But she couldn't move on while Naomi was in need. She'd witnessed Satoshi trying to comfort her, only to have it end terribly. Which surprised Seiko, since Naomi normally loved Satoshi's company. If anything, it only made Naomi worse. Seiko could practically see the blackened outer ring of Naomi's aura, which scared her. Though she was no longer in Heavenly Host, that didn't mean the darkness still wasn't nipping at her heels every chance it got.  
_

_Seiko watched as Naomi flopped down on her bed face down and groaned loudly. The sound grated against Seiko's ears and she winced. Naomi picked her head up and reached into the pocket of her uniform, pulling out a small slip of torn paper._

_"...!"_

_She still had her Sachiko charm! Naomi wiped her eyes and stared at the paper. "Seiko...I'm sorry..." she whispered. Seiko only wished she could say something back._

_Naomi sat up and looked outside her window. She'd been out later than she normally was, and the sun was just starting to set. The sky was coloring a pinkish orange on the horizon, getting darker the further her eyes got away from it. She closed her fingers around the Sachiko charm and closed her eyes. Seiko could tell she was tired, exhausted even. She'd probably had a long day. Naomi laid back on her bed, starting at the ceiling._

_~ And I love you more than I did before_

_And if today I don't see your face_

_Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_

_It gets harder everyday...~_

"Seiko, I love you." Naomi said. "I hope you know that. I always have, always will." Naomi yawned. "Nothing will ever...change that..."

It wasn't much longer until she drifted off to sleep with the charm held close to her heart. As normal, she had her consistent dreaming sequences. Though this one was a bit more lenient on her mental state. She smiled in her sleep.

The next morning, Naomi woke up and did her usual morning routine to get ready for school. She took a shower, ate breakfast, brushed her teeth, kissed her mother goodbye, and hurried out the door. Like every morning since the incident, Seiko didn't come running up with her bag in tow. She didn't smother Naomi with a bone crushing hug and bury her face in her chest. Naomi simply stared at her best friend's former home and sighed. It just wasn't the same not seeing Seiko face everyday, no matter how used to it she was. Each of her friends offered to walk with her, since they all didn't live that far, but she declined their offers. She just couldn't take it. Little did she know that Seiko was still with her...

She fought to cope with this new reality she was trapped in. She could tell by the grim expressions of her friends whether they'd gotten any sleep the night before or not. And ninety percent of the time they didn't. Yoshiki could have bags under his eyes, Ayumi could be trying to explain something to the class and get completely lost on what she was saying, Satoshi would be more irritable and unresponsive and, when asked, he would say Yuka couldn't stand sleeping in the dark by herself anymore because she's always imagine Kizami staring at her from the corner of the room. They were all struggling.

Naomi's grades were slipping a bit. She went from an A student to a B/C student. Her mother was called in to discuss the matter, and when the principal asked Naomi what was going on she simply shrugged.

"Maybe I'm not as smart as I thought." she said.

_~ Say you love me more than you did before_

_And I'm sorry that it's this way_

_But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_

_And if you ask me, I will stay_

_I will stay...~_

No, Naomi, don't think like that! _ Seiko thought._ You're smarter than most in this school!

_Seiko couldn't believe how hard Naomi was being on herself. She still blamed herself for Seiko's death even after she was forgiven. Didn't the text mean anything?! _

If only I was there with you...this would all be different... _ Seiko balled her hands into fists. None of this was fair! Why was it Naomi that had to suffer?_

_~ Well, I tried to live without you_

_The tears fall from my eyes_

_I'm alone and I feel empty_

_God, I'm torn apart inside...~_

"Naomi, how are you?" Satoshi asked one day after class. The whole class was already gone, only Naomi and Satoshi had stayed behind.

Naomi shrugged. "I don't even know anymore. I've tried to tell myself that everything is fine, that it was all just a terrible dream that I can wake up from any minute now. But when I walk out my door and Seiko doesn't come running, I'm reminded that this is for real. That she's actually gone and we're the only ones that will ever remember her."

Satoshi nodded. "I get it. When I dream about Ms. Yui, I always get upset because she used to be a teacher that worked here and no one had any idea who I'm talking about."

"But how are we expected to just act like it never happened?!" Naomi cried suddenly. "How are we supposed to act like we never saw our friends die horrific deaths?!"

"Unfortunately, that's the kind of life we were thrown into." Satoshi said. "We didn't choose to be here, and we didn't make everyone forget about them. Time did something to itself. In a way, it spared people's feelings."

"Then why couldn't it spare ours?!" Naomi said. She was starting to cry. "Why couldn't it take away the memories of me being the one that killed her?! Why couldn't it take away the sight of her lifeless body hanging in the air?!"

"I don't know, Naomi." Satoshi said.

Naomi sniffed and wiped away a tear from her cheek. She felt like she was being split in two, or into millions of pieces. How could the world be so cruel? She'd never felt so empty in her life, she'd never felt so pointless.

"You and I both know that if it had been Yuka that suffered that same fate, you'd be losing your mind." Naomi pointed out.

Satoshi looked at her, his expression unreadable. But he nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

_~I look up at the stars_

_Hoping you're doing the same_

_And somehow I feel closer_

_And I can hear you say...~_

It was the middle of the night, but Naomi wasn't asleep. She was at her bedroom window, gazing at the night sky. She loved to look at the constellations, picking out her favorites. Her and Seiko used to make up their own. Seiko had found a particular star pattern that she liked to call "Naomi and Satoshi's love stars". When she named it, Naomi laughed and called her a spazz. Naomi could see it now, just beside the Big Dipper. The memory was a slap to the face and a stab to the heart, but Naomi simply dealt with it.

"The stars are out tonight, Seiko." Naomi said. "Do you see them?"

I do, Naomi._ Seiko thought with a sad smile. She was "standing" next to the brunette, looking proutside along with her. _I can even see your special stars.

Naomi sighed and rested her chin in her palm. "Somehow...it feels like you're close Seiko. Like you're right here."

I am, Naomi, I am! _ Seiko wanted to say so badly. _ I've been here this whole time! I miss you so much, Naomi...

_~Oh, oh I miss you_

_Oh, oh I need you...~_

"..." Naomi breathed deeply, a chill passing down her spine. She jumped, standing straight and turning around. It wasn't cold that night, it was rather warm and there was little wind blowing. So, what...?

_~I never want to lose you_

_And if I had to, I would choose you_

_So stay, please always stay_

_You're the one that I hold on to_

_'Cause my heart would stop without you...~_

_Seiko was now standing in front of Naomi, though Naomi didn't know it. Seiko studied Naomi like she'd never seen her before. She'd never leave Naomi, not as long as she needed her. And if that meant spending an eternity on Earth, then so be it. She'd hang on to her forever. Just like she did when she was still alive. Because, alive or not, Naomi would still be hers. Alive or not, Seiko was still hers. They swore that they'd rather die than live without the other. Now, considering the circumstances, Seiko wanted to do everything in her power to keep Naomi going. She found it funny how words could suddenly mean nothing when the moment actually arrives._

_"Naomi..." Seiko said in a low voice, reaching out towards her._

_~And I love you more than I did before_

_And if today I don't see your face_

_Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_

_It gets harder everyday...~_

"Kyah!" Naomi cried out, jumping about five feet in the air. Something...had just touched her butt. She looked behind her, yet saw nothing there. She scratched her head, confused. _ Didn't something just...hmmm..._

Naomi glanced back out the window just as a gentle breeze began to flow through it. She squinted against it as it whirled around her, combing through her hair and blowing through her pajamas. There was something...calming...about this wind that made Naomi relax and welcome it. She smiled softly and closed her eyes just as a familiar scent wafted past her nose.

_Wait...I know that perfume..._ she thought. _ Jade Blossom... There's only one person that I know that where's that..._

Naomi gasped and opened her eyes in realization. Was it even possible...? "S-Seiko...?"

_~Say you love me more than you did before_

_And I'm sorry that it's this way_

_But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_

_And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay_

_I'll always stay...~_

"Seiko!" Naomi cried again, her eyes filling up.

_"Naomi!" Seiko said._

"...!" Naomi gasped. She heard her voice! She heard her! "Seiko! I know you're there! Please, let me see you!"

The wind slowed down before dissipating completely. Naomi stood still for a brief second, wondering what was going on. Had she dreamed it all? "Seiko, are you still here?"

_"I'm here! I'm right in front of you!" Seiko said. She grabbed Naomi by the shoulders and her best friend's eyes went wide with shock, her hand immediately going for Seiko's was._

A lump formed in Naomi's throat, a sob following close behind it. She was there. Actually there. She saw the faintest blue glow appear before her eyes before disappearing again. A small wind began circulating the room. The blue glow brightened again, forming a figure that resembled a girls.

"Na-o-mi!" Seiko's voice came to her. "I'm he-re, Nao-mi..."

"Seiko!" Naomi said. "You're-you're here!"

_~And I love you more than I did before_

_And I'm sorry that it's this way_

_But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_

_And if you ask I will stay, I will stay...~_

"Seiko, I love you..." Naomi whispered. "And I miss you so much... Please...say you'll stay..."

Naomi could barely make out the goofy grin that Seiko was making.

"Always."

_~I will stay...~_

**...**

**I was hoping this would be longer, but oh well. It probably would've been if I hadn't of shortened the song. But, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, I didn't want to have to constantly repeat myself like I probably did anyway. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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